The Peach, the Apple, and the Blackberry
by DaughterOfAres
Summary: This is in answer to my own challenge “Aesop Fables.” Harry and Draco get into a bit of trouble and are caught by Professor Snape.


Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot and the challenge.

**The Challenge**: I had a wonderful idea for a story/oneshot, but couldn't really decide on the details for it; consequently, I decided to make it into a challenge. I greatly encourage everyone who reads this to try to come up with a short little story for it. All I ask is that you let me know, so I can read it. Thanks!

Aesop's Fables Challenge

Snape teaches Harry a lesson, using any of Aesop's Fables as the moral. The fable from which the moral comes must be sighted in the author's notes as well as the name of the challenge. It must involve Snape telling Harry the fable and what he expects Harry to learn from it. It can be either a one shot or part of a bigger story.

**The Peach, the Apple, and the Blackberry**

Severus sat at his desk, silently studying the two boys who were standing across from him, fidgeting. The daft students had gotten into a fist fight in what they had thought was a deserted corridor. He had the _pleasure_ of rounding a corner on his way to the teacher's lounge to find none other then Draco Malfoy and Harry Potter having it out with each other.

He had immediately broken them up and escorted them to his office, remaining silent on their entire trip down to the dungeons despite attempts from both boys to explain their actions. After taking his seat, he merely commanded the two boys to be silent while he began grading papers, ignoring them both and not offering them a seat. After twenty minutes since they entered his office, he finally had finished the papers he was grading and was ready to speak to the two boys' opposite his desk. He had discovered many years ago that allowing wayward students time to scare themselves while he waited quietly, seemingly ignoring them while he calmed himself, was one of the best possible torture methods there were.

As he studied them, he realized he should have healed their wounds before he had begun his twenty-minute silent treatment. Harry had bloody nose, and though it wasn't bleeding furiously, he had obviously tried to stop the bleeding with the sleeve of his robe, before giving up. His left eye was also a deep shade of red and was already beginning to bruise, if left untreated he would have a very nasty black eye by tomorrow. Draco hadn't faired much better. He would have a black eye by tomorrow as well, only it would form on the right side, and his bottom lip was split and bleeding. He had also tried to stifle the flow of blood using his sleeve. The knuckles of both boys' were raw and scraped, some to the point of bleeding. Showing not the only the force they had put behind their punches but also, judging from the redness of their knuckles, how unaccustomed both boys were to fighting in such a manner.

Standing up from his desk, his movements causing both boys to stiffen slightly and immediately stop their fidgeting, Severus crossed his office and opened a small cupboard, revealing several jars and bottles of varying shapes and colors, each labeled in his small, distinct, sharp scrawl. Withdrawing two jars and three vials his set them on his before transfiguring two broken quills into two separate large bowls. Though he doubted either boy realized it, he kept a close eye on both of them. Keeping his movements slow and graceful, he watched as their apprehension built.

With a silent swish of his wand, water emerged from the end and divided into two streams, filling both bowls with warm water. Emptying the contents of one vial into one bowl and the matching contents of another vial into the other bowl, he placed them both on the edge of his desk. He could feel both boys watching him nervously and when he turned around, he was met with matching frightened stares. Draco and Harry were both looking at him with wide, nervous eyes – a deer-in-the-headlights sort of look, as his father used to say.

Without saying a word, he first approached Draco and looked down at him for a moment, allowing the boy's terror to mount even more before taking the young Slytherin's hands in his own and examining them. Though he knew Draco was trying to hide it, Severus could still feel the slight tremor in his hands. Once done with his observations, he pulled Draco the short distance to the desk and put both his hands in the water, holding Draco's wrist for a moment to prevent the boy from jerking them out.

Draco hissed in pain and tried to pull his hands out, but Severus easily kept them in the potion-spiked water until the initial stinging stopped and the soothing sensation began causing Draco to relax. Severus said nothing as he released the boy's wrist, and, though Draco was now watching him, he said nothing, maintaining his silence knowing the effect it would have on both wayward students.

Severus then approached Harry and repeated his actions of studying the abused knuckles before placing them in the water-potion mix. Unlike Draco, Harry did not try to pull his hands out of the water when the stinging began, but he did grimace slightly. Once Harry relaxed, Severus released the boy's wrist and picked up the last vial off the desk.

Conjuring a washcloth, he opened the vial and, placing a corner of the rag over the opening, he flipped the vial over allowing the corner to become wet with the contents of the vial before flipping it back over and setting the still-uncapped vial on his desk. Standing over Harry, in a very intimidating mannor, he tilted the child's head up, and even though he meet little resistance, a small grunt rose from the boy's throat as scared eyes met his unreadable face. Ignoring the look, Severus held the corner of the cloth to Harry's nose for a moment before using the same corner to clean out the inside of his nose of the blood. Once done with that task, he silently cleaned the cloth with an unspoken spell and pick up one of the jars from his desk. After opening it, he used the cloth to scoop some out and he applied it to Harry's growing black eye. Severus ignored Harry's flinch and continued, with surprisingly gentle movements, causing Harry to close his eyes and relax against his ministrations.

Once Severus finished with Harry, his black eye was gone and his nose no longer a bloody mess, no pun intended, he placed the lid back on the jar before setting it next to the bowl, where Harry's hands were soaking, along side the bowl was the once again clean and dry cloth. Turning to Draco, he pick up the uncapped vial once more after conjuring another cloth and once he had a sufficient amount of the potion on the edge of the cloth, he tilted Draco's head up, so he could clean and heal the boy's split lip.

As he had done with Harry, once Draco's lip was healed he pick up the other jar of healing salve off his desk and applied it to Draco's black eye before replacing the lid and setting it and the dry, clean cloth down next to Draco's bowl. He then lifted the boy's hands out of the bowl and examined the knuckles with a clinical eye before picking up the cloth and gently drying the boy's hands, satisfied that they had healed completely. He then banished both the bowl and the cloth leaving only the jar of healing salve in front of Draco.

Turning his attention once more to Harry, he silently lifted his hands out of the now-cool water and examined them in the same manner he had Draco's and pleased that they were completely healed, he banished the bowl and cloth and, as with Draco, left only the jar of healing slave behind. Still not speaking to the two boys, he collected the empty vials off his desk and put them away to be cleaned and reused later, making a note as to what he needed to replace in his small potions store. Returning to his seat behind his desk he sat back in his chair, his right hand coming up to his face. With his thumb under his chin and the rest of his fingers above his upper lip, pushing up slightly at an angle, he once again began studying the two boys in front of him. They looked as though they were about to be lead to the gallows. Draco had clasp his hands behind his back, most likely trying to hide the tremble he had noticed before. Harry was putting up a brave front, but Severus was sure that if he suddenly jumped out of his chair and yelled 'boo' the boy would jump ten feet in the air. Severus remained calm, however, knowing it would terrify them more then any amount of shouting.

As his gaze caused both boys to begin fidgeting again, he finally spoke in a deadly-quiet voice that, although soft and silky, held a dangerous quality to it that clearly spoke of dire consequences if disobeyed. "Before I ask you what happened to cause the…scuffle between you boys, let me make a few things clear. First, I expect the truth. No self-sacrificing lies designed to protect whomever you've decided needs protecting." Here Severus turned his piercing glare on Harry, who squirmed uncomfortably and looked anywhere except at him, before shifting it to Draco. "And no self-preserving lies to protect yourself or your pride. Also, you will not interrupt myself or each other under any circumstances." Severus paused for a moment to glare at both, which caused them to fidget awkwardly.

"Let me make one more thing clear," Severus said in an even deadlier voice, if it were at all possible. His eyes narrowed. "I'm very upset with both of you, and it will do you well to listen and do as I say." Severus allowed his words to sink in a moment before continuing. "Do you understand?"

"Yes, sir," two quiet voices rang out through his office. It was obvious that he had sufficiently terrified both boys.

Nodding his head slightly at their respectful reply he turned his attention to Harry first and once their eyes meet he questioned the boy in a neutral, yet cold tone. "Mr. Potter, will you, please, enlighten me as to the cause behind little tiff with Mr. Malfoy, here?"

Harry swallowed hard, no doubt trying to call upon his courage. Severus saw the deliberation in the boy's eyes as he decided that telling the truth was his only option. Severus listened as Harry explained in a quiet voice, that refused to stop cracking, although it was apparent he was trying to control it, which left him sounding like a small child begging to get out of a promised punishment as he stood in front of his teacher's desk. "I was on my way to the Great Hall for dinner, I had just put my stuff away in the dorms, and when I rounded the corner I accidentally…"

Draco said nothing, but Severus heard as he snorted at the word 'accidentally' causing Harry to pause to glare him, but Draco didn't see it. Draco was to busy being stared down by his potion's master. Severus glared intensely at Draco until the boy swallowed hard. Satisfied that his message at been received, Severus turned his attention back to Harry and with a slight nod of the head and a raised eyebrow, gestured from him to continue.

Taking a deep breath Harry continued with his explanation, picking up where he had left off. "I _accidentally_ ran into Malfoy, causing both of us to stumble backwards and nearly fall. Then…" Harry stopped talking; he didn't want to continue afraid of his professor's reaction.

"And then…what, Mr. Potter?" Severus allowed his impatience to color his voice.

Studying the floor and clasping his healed hands behind his back Harry whispered. "Then we called each other names and began throwing punches."

Severus didn't comment continuing to watch the green-eyed boy in front of him as the Gryffindor shifted from foot to foot. He knew the boy was telling the truth, but was angry that the blood had come from something as trivial as name-calling. Turning his attention away from Harry, he focused his stare on Draco.

"Do you have anything to add to this Mr. Malfoy?" Draco opened his mouth, undoubtedly to rant and rave about how Harry was lying and that some grave injustice had been said about him and he was merely defending himself. Severus however, spoke again before giving the blond haired boy a chance to condemn himself. "And let me remind you that I will not tolerate anything but the _complete_ truth."

Draco swallowed hard, before bowing his head and whispering. "No, sir, that's basically what happened."

Severus nodded at Draco showing him that he appreciated his honesty. Despite his outwardly calm appearance; however, Severus was seething. How could these two boys, who had quite a bit in common, be so blind…so…foolish as to get into fist fight, being capable of drawing blood over a bump in the hall?

Severus leaned forward in his chair steepleing his hands on his desk in front of him, before speaking. He was suddenly reminded of a distant memory – what trigger it he couldn't say – that hit his mind in such a way that it became as clear as day to him. Once he had gotten into a fight with his younger brother over something trivial. A toy, if he recalled correctly. He was about nine years old and his brother seven, and what started out as a small argument quickly escalated into a full-blown fistfight.

He recalled his father breaking them apart and taking first him then his brother over his knee for a spanking, and then sitting them down, still crying, on the couch for a talk. He remembered how he had cried as he told his father what had transpired, and at the injustice he had felt when his father had declared that since they could not share, neither of them would be allowed the toy. What Severus remembered the clearest, however, was what his father had told him and his brother later, before tucking them into bed . . .

Looking at the two boys standing across his desk from him, and noticing their confused and scared looks at his silence, he decided that his father's words of wisdom needed to be passed on once more.

"Sit down gentlemen, and let me tell you a story," Severus purred in a voice that held none of his before-mentioned anger, but had almost a musical quality to it. Once the two boys, who were more confused now then ever, were sitting down, he began his story, telling it in the same singsong way his father had many years before.

"A peach and an apple once decided to have a contest to determine which one was the more beautiful. However, when tempers flared and the competition appeared to be getting out of hand, a blackberry thrust his head from a nearby bush and cried out, 'This dispute's gone on long enough. Let's all be friends and stop this nonsense!'" Severus, whose eyes had become slightly unfocused, as though remembering, now sharpened to focus on the two boys who had matching looks of confusion on their faces. His lips twitched slightly, these two really did have more in common than they realized. Neither seemed to understand the reason he was telling them this story. When he continued it was in a harder tone then before. "And the moral of this story is: The loudest quarrels are often the most petty."

Severus gave the boy's several minutes to contemplate what he said before directing his next question to Draco. "Mr. Malfoy, will you please explain to me how that story relates to your current situation?"

Though it was phrased as a request, Draco knew it was anything but. "It means, sir," began Draco in a respectful tone, "that the things we where fighting over aren't really that important, and definitely not worth us blooding each other up over."

"Very good, Mr. Malfoy. Perhaps you and Mr. Potter here could remember this next time?" This time it was a question, and it was directed at both of them.

"Yes, sir" two quite, ashamed, voices rang out in his office. Severus stared at them both for another moment before making a dismissive gesture with his hand. "You are both dismissed. Take the jars of healing salve with you, and apply it on any other scraps or bruises you may have given one another."

Severus watched as Harry and Draco both got up and made their way towards the door, they were both obviously surprised and glad that they would be escaping any sort of punishment. He would soon crush their delight, however, for just as Harry reached the door and his hand hovered over the doorknob Severus's casual yet stern voice reached their ears. "And gentlemen, you both have detention with me for the rest of the week, starting at eight 'o' clock tomorrow."

Severus still in his chair behind his desk, watched amused, as both boys' shoulders slumped, and for the third and final time that night, both in matching disappointed tones replied, "yes, sir," before they hurried out of the office so their professor would not change his mind and exacerbate their punishment.

…………………………

A/N: This is of course in answer to my own challenge "Aesop Fable" the fable used in this story is "The Peach, the Apple, and the Blackberry."

Many thanks (as always) to breanatalla for beta'ing.

Please review.


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